People started giving boring speeches from the stage at "the Con" so I decided to call it a night. On my way out of the hall I spotted the mystery man I'd seen earlier.

Back then he had the world on a string and was full of potential. No more. Although this other gentleman in the photo was generous enough to give our Mystery Man his ear for a moment, the rest of the crowd simply rushed by him, eager to return to the main hall for whoever was droning on and on in there. It's sad to see but in my experience that's the way politics work: Power is fleeting and Shooting Stars are a dime a dozen.